Abstract [en]

Have Swedish political parties over time shifted their priorities from economic wellbeing and traditional morality towards values that are less tangible, more liberty-oriented and global?

Using the similar but competing theories of societral value-change developed by Ronald Inglehart and Scott Flanagan as the basis for a quantitative content analysis of four major Swedish political parties' manifestoes during two separate time periods, it is found that there indeed seems to be a certain shift from economic values, replaced by a focus on socially permissive values and a more inclusive view of which problems and whose concerns need addressing. The shift is general, but differences between parties persis to some extent, and whether a manifesto is meant to be ideas- or action-oriented seems to impact what kind of values that will be prioritized.

Furthermore, support is found for Flanagan's thesis that economic values and security-/morality-/authority-oriented ones do not constitute the single "materialism" group that Inglehart postulates (though the presence of so-called "authoritarian values" is relatively limited overall), whereas Flanagan's prediction that values will become more individualistic and egocentric as the importance of traditional morality diminishes might possibly be less apt, at least as far as political parties are concerned.